Ductwork Shop Drawings

Below is a sample of one of my recent Continue reading

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Architectural Drafters

I’ve been running draftingservices.com since 2007. We provide all kinds of drafting support to architects, contractors, engineers and etc.. Currently we have a few different ongoing projects. One of these projects is to draft the construction drawings of a house. The house is located in New York. Continue reading

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Facade Drawing | Project Summary 16

Here is one of my latest projects. Continue reading

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Top CAD Blogs of 2016

Hey, happy soon to be 2017! I know it’s cliche, because everyone says it, but I can’t believe 2016 is almost completed. It’s crazy. Time flies.

The end of 2016 brings me to my customary year end Top CAD Blogs post. I’ve been tracking some of these blogs for years now. Five years. That’s a fair amount of time.
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Posted in AutoCAD Related | 3 Comments

Top CAD Blogs of 2015

Welcome, and wazzup! As has been my custom for the past 4 years, on basically the last day of the year I post the Top CAD Blogs of the year. Once again, I’m at it. Let’s see who ranked where. Continue reading

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Top CAD Blogs of 2014

Welcome to my fourth annual “Top CAD Blogs” post! Just like last year Continue reading

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Top CAD Blogs of 2013

This is my third annual “Top CAD Blogs” post! Just like last year Continue reading

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Building Surveys

The term “building survey” can mean different things to different people. Below is a partial list of how different professionals may use the term. Continue reading

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Paper to CAD Conversions

“Paper to cad” is a shorthand phrase that refers to the act of converting a set of paper drawings into CAD format. The focus of this article will be an introductory level explanation of the topic. Continue reading

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Rent AutoCAD or Revit

Yes, you can now rent AutoCAD LT!! Okay, it’s only the LT version, but that should be good enough for many people’s needs. Here’s how you can rent it. Continue reading

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Why AutoCAD is still Relevant

AutoCAD is the most popular drafting software in the world – and has been since Continue reading

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Top CAD Blogs of 2012

This is my second annual “Top CAD Blogs” post. I changed things up a bit this year, in hopes that it’d make this post more straight forward.

In last year’s Continue reading

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Creating a Simple Linetype in AutoCAD

Creating your own AutoCAD linetype is pretty easy to do. Today’s blog post will be Continue reading

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Hatch Pattern Gap Tolerance – HPGAPTOL

Recently I received a Boundary Definition Error while drafting in AutoCAD. I got the error message when I was trying to hatch the exterior wall of a building that I drafted. Continue reading

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Free NVIDIA Computer Graphics Card

graphics-card

Back in October of 2010 I bought a Quadro FX 580 graphics card for my then new computer. I paid $160 for it, and eventually determined that it wasn’t compatible with my Dell Inspiron 560 computer. Continue reading

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My Standing Desk

The other week I wrote about the ergonomic mouse that I bought in hopes it would aleviate the pain I have in the top of my hands and forearms. The mouse definitely did help some, but my pain is due to years of bad typing posture, and I found out that I needed to do more than just switch to an ergonomic mouse. Continue reading

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How to Rename an AutoCAD Block

Last week I was working on a floor plan drafting project. The project called for me to measure and draft the floor plans of a penthouse apartment on 5th Avenue in New York City. I also had to include the power points on the plan. Continue reading

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Backing Up Your CAD Files

As a sole proprietor I run my own drafting services business, and up until now I’ve been using an external hard drive to backup my CAD files. This has been good, but in reality, not good enough. Continue reading

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Help! My Hand and Forearm Hurt!

If you’ve been on a computer for years, like I have, then you may have found yourself Googling phrases like “pain in the back of the hand” or “ergonomic workstation” or etc. If you have, then you’re not alone, because I have queried the same phrases. Continue reading

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Posted in Health | 4 Comments

AutoCAD System Variables

If you’re an AutoCAD user, then sooner or later you will come across “system variables”. I consider these to be a little less intuitive part of AutoCAD, then other parts of the software. Let me explain. Continue reading

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A Home Architectural Survey Defined

Has your Architect told you that you need an Architectural Survey performed on your house, in order for him to create the home remodeling drawings that you hired him for? Well, if this is so, then you’re not the first person to have heard this. Such a survey is prerequisite on some home remodel projects, and herein will be discussed. Continue reading

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AutoCAD Cheat Sheet

The mouse is death!! This is a phrase I’ve heard, in reference to one working efficiently on his computer. What it means is, given the choice between using your mouse to execute commands vs. using keyboard shortcuts to execute commands, it is often times quicker to use keyboard shortcuts. I’ve found this rule of thumb to be true when using different computer software applications, including when using AutoCAD. Continue reading

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Posted in AutoCAD Related | 13 Comments

Evaluating the Decision to Use a Provider of Outsourced CAD Drafting Services

If you run or manage a company in the AEC Industry, are feeling a pinch in your project budgets, and your company is in need of drafting services, then using a provider of outsourced AutoCAD drafting services instead of keeping a full time CAD employee may be a way to cut costs. Here’s a thought on this alternative. Continue reading

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AutoCAD Image Border

When an image is inserted into an AutoCAD drawing, it comes in with a border. The border is more properly known as a frame.

I first became aware of the image frame when Continue reading

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An Introduction to Point Cloud Data

These days, within the AEC industry, and within many other industries too, cloud is a buzzword that I hear fairly often. In my circles the word most often refers to computing or storing data in a cloud.

The cloud is off-site and decentralized, so as not to rely on any one single computer. The off-site location is accessed through an internet connection.

There is however another context in which the word cloud is used. That other context is in point cloud data. Today I’ll discuss point cloud data. Sorry if you were looking for another cloud computing or cloud storage article!! Continue reading

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Theater Floor Plans | Project Summary 15

Every once in a while I’ll get a request to measure a theater in order to draft CAD floor plans of it. Below I describe one such project. Continue reading

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AutoCAD Floor Plans | Project Summary 14

In my role as a drafting consultant I Continue reading

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How to Run AutoCAD 2007 in Windows 7

It was in July of 2010 that I switched from Windows XP to Windows 7. Continue reading

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CADD Geek Health Issues

Here’s a superb video interview of Dr. Andrew Weil, in which the interviewer Kevin Rose asks Dr. Weil health questions that relate to computer geek lifestyles. CADD people certainly spend Continue reading

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Floor Plan Survey | Project Summary 13

One of the drafting services that I provide is floor plan surveys. In this post, as a continuation in my series of project summary posts, I’ll review a project on which I provided such services. Continue reading

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AutoCAD Hexadecimal Color Equivalents

I built my website using HTML and CSS. Continue reading

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Measured Drawings | Project Summary 12

Measured drawings of multistory buildings and residential spaces Continue reading

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Freelance Drafter or Not?

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An Interview of GrabCAD’s Indrek Narusk

Recently while I was browsing the web I ran across Continue reading

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CAD Floor Plans | Project Summary 11

On a regular basis I create CAD floor plan drawings of existing buildings. Today I’ll dive into my project archives and summarize one such project. Continue reading

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Real Estate Floor Plans | Project Summary 10

Today I’ll review a project that I completed two weeks ago. The scope of work was Continue reading

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Construction Drawings Defined

I was just doing some web queries on “construction drawings” Continue reading

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The #CAD Twitter Hashtag

I just realized that we in the CAD community may be able to answer each other’s questions by using the #CAD Twitter hashtag Continue reading

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Commercial Building Floor Plans | Project Summary 9

A few weeks ago an architecture firm, who I’ve done business with in the past, contacted me and requested a cost proposal to field verify the accuracy of two of their AutoCAD files that contained commercial building floor plans. The plans were of an existing commercial building located in the heart of the Financial District of New York City. Continue reading

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Building Measuring | Project Summary 8

Measuring buildings, for the purpose of creating CAD drawings of them, is what I do for a living. It is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing, and each building is a challenge. I get great satisfaction out of trying to overcome such challenges, in order to provide my clients with accurate CAD drawings, in a timely manner. Continue reading

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Riding Out An Earthquake Here In Queens, NY

The life of a CAD Drafter can be more perilous than one might think. It can include riding out an EARTHQUAKE at 1:52 pm in the afternoon!! Continue reading

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Floor Plan Service | Project Summary 7

Drafting service businesses, such as mine, provide floor plan services. Doing so entails going to a building (or house) to measure its floor plans, followed by creating a CAD drawing that is based upon the measurements. Continue reading

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Free Autodesk Architecture & Building Solutions Webinar 9-13-11

Yesterday I received an email invite from Autodesk to Continue reading

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As-Built Services | Project Summary 6

Providing as-built services means: Continue reading

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AutoCAD Selection Modes

As I was drafting today a weird thing happened to me. I was Continue reading

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As-Built Documentation | Project Summary 5

To provide as-built documentation services is to record the as-constructed configuration of something. That something could be a structure, mechanical system, plumbing system, or etc. Continue reading

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As-Built Floor Plans | Project Summary 4

A set of as-built floor plans are Continue reading

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Existing Conditions Drafting | Project Summary 3

Existing conditions drafting is the act of Continue reading

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AutoCAD Mouse Wheel Zoom

If you use AutoCAD a fair amount like I do, and have been doing so for many years, then Continue reading

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Residential House Drawings | Project Summary 2

Here’s a project on which I needed to create floor plan drawings and exterior elevation drawings of a two story (plus a full basement) residential house in the Bronx, NY. The drawings were delivered to my client in AutoCAD format. Continue reading

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Existing Conditions Drawings | Project Summary 1

A set of existing conditions drawings for an existing structure are created from on-site measurements of the structure. The on-site measuring is sometimes loosely referred to as a survey. Once the structure is surveyed, the field measurements are used to create a drawing of it.

Regularly I create existing conditions drawings of Continue reading

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Free AutoCAD Tutorials

I’ve been contacted a few times by AutoCAD beginners Continue reading

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Project Photofly v2 Resources

Creating 2D as-built building elevation drawings in AutoCAD format is one of the services that I provide as a CAD consultant. Typically such drawings are required by my AEC industry clients for Continue reading

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Top Ten CAD Blogs As Of May 2011

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and here in New York City it’s a point in the year that always seems to me to be a time of transition. I think I get this impression because, quite amazingly, this weekend like clockwork Continue reading

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Posted in AutoCAD Related | 10 Comments